Story perspectives

FBI and CISA Warn of Russian Phishing on Messaging Apps

4/17/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warn that Russian intelligence runs phishing campaigns against messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram.
The attacks target high-value individuals, including government officials and journalists.
Hackers gain account access to read messages and impersonate victims to scam contacts.
Experts say the weakest link is human behavior and advise enabling two-factor authentication and verifying requests through other channels.

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Story summary

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warn that Russian intelligence runs phishing campaigns against messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram.
The attacks target high-value individuals, including government officials and journalists.
Hackers gain account access to read messages and impersonate victims to scam contacts.
Experts say the weakest link is human behavior and advise enabling two-factor authentication and verifying requests through other channels.